Calendar Girls

This musical tells the story of how the members of the Women’s Institute of a Yorkshire village, responding to the death of the husband of one of their members, raised funds for their local hospital by posing for a nude but tasteful calendar.  It does take a while to hit its stride, as we have to understand why John Clarke’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent death had such an impact on his community.  His passing leaves a huge void, but this is where the other characters start to step up from the background and the real drama begins.

With their back stories established, we better understand the demons that each of the women needs to face down to take part in the photo shoot.  They have been on a journey, and because we have journeyed with them we are willing them through the shoot and sharing in their relief and joy as the photographs are taken.  It is all done, as Kenny Everett might have said, in the best possible taste, but this must still have been a challenge for the performers as the cleverly constructed photographs allowed them to retain their modesty while also revealing that they had very little if anything on.  As one of the protagonists exclaimed, “We’re going to need considerably bigger buns!”  The atmosphere in the auditorium was quite extraordinary as the audience took these women to their hearts – I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything quite like it.

While the women are at the core of the story, a strong supporting cast provided context and colour.  The creative team made the sensible decision to make the production considerably more inclusive by giving greater prominence to the ensemble.  They were pleasingly natural and unusually vocal in the community scenes, and the dancing found the sweet spot between chaotic spontaneity and disciplined precision.  The Spring Fete had a lot going on, including a very convincing tug-of-war, so that sight lines may have been compromised for some members of the audience.  The singing was predictably a strength, with powerful unison and gorgeous harmonies.

The Assistant Director told me before the show that I would laugh, or cry, or both.  In the end I didn’t cry, but it was a close run thing.  Oxford Operatic Society’s production of “Calendar Girls” exerted a really powerful emotional pull on its audience; it welcomed us into this small Yorkshire community, it drew us into the world of these ordinary women, and then it revealed them to be quite extraordinary in their determination and bravery.  It was one of those productions that presents as an evening of light entertainment, but it’s underpinned by an important story that deserves, even needs to be told.  I imagine the original Calendar Girls were able to look back on their collective endeavour with a real sense of pride and achievement, and I expect that Oxford Operatic Society, and particularly the core principals, will feel something similar when they look back on this production.

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